Analytics for Edge Devices

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a technique that can be performed by an electronic device. The technique can include generating timestamped events, where the timestamped events include raw data generated by electronic device. The technique can further include obtaining results by performing a operation on the timestamped events, in accordance with instructions. The technique can further include sending the results or indicia thereof over a network to a server computer system, and receiving back new instructions generated by the server computer system based on the sent results. Lastly, the technique can include performing a new operation on timestamped events including raw data generated based by the electronic device, where the new operation can be performed in accordance with the new instructions to obtain new results.

FIELD

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure pertains to data analytics for edge devices on a network, and, more particularly, to updating local instructions or data on an edge device to improve analytics for edge devices.

BACKGROUND

Information technology environments can include various types of edge devices. In general, an edge device is an electronic device that can form an endpoint of a network connection. An edge device can be a device on an Internet-of-Things (IoT) (an “IoT device”), that can collect data and exchange data on a network. An IoT device can be connected to the network permanently or intermittently. In some cases, an IoT device may include electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity components included in other devices, vehicles, buildings, or other items. An edge device may perform machine-to-machine (M2M) communications directly with other devices (e.g., device-to-device communication) over a network and may also physically interact with its environment.

Multiple edge devices within an information technology environment can generate large amounts of data (“edge data”) from diverse locations. The edge data may be generated passively (e.g., sensors collecting environmental temperatures) and/or generated actively (e.g., cameras photographing detected objects). The edge data may include machine-generated data (“machine data”), which can include performance data, diagnostic information, or any other data that can be analyzed to diagnose equipment performance problems, monitor user interactions, and to derive other insights. The large amounts and often-diverse nature of edge data in certain environments can give rise to various challenges in relation to managing, understanding and effectively utilizing the data.

A number of tools are available to analyze data generated by edge devices. To reduce the volume of the potentially vast amount of edge data that may be generated, edge data may be pre-processed based on anticipated data-analysis needs. For example, specified data items may be extracted from the edge data and stored in a database to facilitate efficient retrieval and analysis of those data items at a later time. The remainder of the generated edge data typically is not saved and is discarded during pre-processing. However, as storage capacity becomes progressively less expensive and more plentiful, storing massive quantities of minimally processed or unprocessed data (collectively and individually referred to as “raw data”) for later retrieval and analysis is becoming increasingly more feasible.

In general, storing raw edge data and performing analysis on that data later (i.e., at “search time”) can provide greater flexibility because it enables analysis of all of the generated edge data instead of only a small subset of it. This may, for example, enable an analyst to investigate different aspects of the edge data that previously were unavailable for analysis because massive amounts of edge data were discarded.

However, storing and analyzing massive quantities of edge data presents a number of challenges. For example, implementing edge analytics is a computationally intensive process that can push the limits of edge devices that have limited storage and computational capabilities. Moreover, the analytics tools implemented by edge devices fail to benefit from their interconnectedness with other devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a networked computer system (“the system”).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a series of events, including raw edge data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a data intake and query system.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process performed by a data intake and query system.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process performed by a search head and indexers to perform a search query.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of an edge device connected to a server computer system.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of an embodiment of the system configured to iteratively update local instructions for data intake and query processes to improve analytics for the edge devices.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of an embodiment of the system to improve analytics for edge devices similar to FIG. 7, but which can implement machine learning at the edge devices and/or the server computer system.

FIG. 9 is an operation flow diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of an edge device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an operation flow diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of a server computer system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a high-level example of a hardware architecture of a computing system that can be used to implement any one or more of the functional components described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this description, references to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment” or the like, mean that the particular feature, function, structure or characteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment of the technique introduced herein. Occurrences of such phrases in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. On the other hand, the embodiments referred to also are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Introduced herein is a technique for improving the performance of, and/or quality of data generated by, edge devices distributed on a network. In at least some embodiments introduced here, this is done by using a central server to aggregate data output by multiple edge devices (typically though not necessarily all if which have the same or very similar purpose and/or functionality), and using the central server to generate, based on the aggregated data, new or modified instructions and/or data (e.g., parameters) for use by the edge devices in generating subsequent output data, to improve their operation and/or quality of output data. In certain embodiments this is done by iteratively updating instructions and/or parameters used as part of data intake and query processes in a system that indexes, stores, and facilitates search and analysis of data generated by the edge devices. In general, the instructions can be executed by processors of the edge devices to perform operations as part of their data intake and query processes. Examples of the instructions include operations for indexing, storing, searching, or extracting raw data or data items from the raw data generated by an edge device.

The edge devices can index and store data generated locally based on inputs to the edge devices. The edge devices can each process the indexed and stored data to perform local actions. For example, instructions can be search instructions used to retrieve data items from raw data generated by the edge devices, which are used to perform local actions. Local instructions at each edge device can be updated according to an instruction generation process implemented globally across all edge devices and/or locally at each edge device in a given system.

The system in certain embodiments includes a server computer system that can index and store edge data obtained from the network of edge devices (collectively “global edge data”). The server computer system can update global instructions by using the global edge data from all (or at least more than one) of the edge devices. As used herein, the term “global instructions” can include actual instructions, or data, or a combination of instructions and data. The server computer system can send the global instructions or related data to each of the edge devices. Each edge device can then use the global instructions or related data to replace or modify local instructions used to process data generated locally. By locally using at each edge device local instructions that have been updated from data generated by itself and other edge devices, the system can improve the performance of each edge device based on the data acquired by the network of distributed edge devices.

During operation, at least some of the edge devices can be communicatively connected from the server computer system intermittently. Such a connection can be via a wired or wireless link or via a combination of wired and wireless links, and can be direct or indirect. Edge data and global instructions or related data can be exchanged between an edge device and the server computer system while the edge device is connected to the server computer system. The edge device can continue to operate using the local instructions even when the edge device is disconnected from the server computer system. In some embodiments, any of the edge devices or server computer systems can implement schemas in accordance with the local or global instructions, respectively, to extract data items from unprocessed data or minimally processed data (“raw data”).

Various other features of the technique introduced here to iteratively update instructions and/or parameters (or other data) used by the edge devices will become apparent from the description that follows. First, however, it is useful to consider an example of an environment and system in which the technique can be employed, as will now be described.

1.0. General Overview

The embodiments disclosed herein generally refer to a system of distributed edge devices connected to a server computer system over a network. However, embodiments of the disclosed system can include many other computing components, such as other servers, sensors, routers, client devices, gateways and host devices that are not described herein for the sake of brevity but are well within the scope of the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating a networked computer system according to an embodiment. The system 10 includes distributed edge devices 12-1 and 12-2 (also referred to collectively and individually as edge devices 12) and a server computer system 14. The edge devices 12 can be communicatively connected to the server computer system 14 over one or more networks 16. As indicated above, an edge device is generally an electronic device that can form an endpoint connection of a network. Examples of an edge device include a mobile device and an IoT device. For example, the edge devices 12 can be unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly referred to as drones) that connect to the server computer system 14 over the network 16 when the drones are within range of the wireless networks 16 but are disconnected from the network 16 otherwise.

At least some of the edge devices 12 may be only intermittently connected from the networks 16. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, edge device 12-1 is disconnected from the network 16 while edge device 12-2 is connected to the network 16. The edge devices 12 can generate edge data and provide the edge data to the server computer system 14 over the networks 16. In some embodiments, the edge devices 12 can operate autonomously or semi-autonomously to carry out designated tasks. In some embodiments, the edge devices 12 can operate under the control of a user to carry out tasks.

Each of the edge devices 12 can generate edge data locally based on inputs received by the respective edge devices 12, according to their designed functionality. For example, a drone that includes a camera can capture images of objects to generate image data. The edge devices 12 can process the edge data, perform requests from the server computer system 14, and perform numerous other computational tasks. For example, drones can process edge data with local models to identify objects in the captured images. During operation, the edge devices 12 may generate significant volumes of edge data.

The volume of edge data generated by the edge devices 12 can grow at very high rates as the number of edge devices included in the system 10 grows. Examples of edge data can include sensor data or other data generated from inputs to the edge devices 12, from which the edge devices 12 can be used to perform local actions. For example, edge data can include temperature inputs or other parameters obtained by sensors of the edge devices 12. Other examples of edge data can include application program data, system logs, network packet data, error logs, stack traces, and performance data. Edge data can also include diagnostic information, configurations, process control settings, actuator commands and other physical output commands, and many other types of data that can be analyzed to perform local actions, diagnose performance problems, monitor interactions, and derive other insights.

A number of tools are available to analyze edge data. The edge devices 12 and/or the server computer system 14 can use these tools to analyze the edge data. For example, the edge data can be communicated to the server computer system 14 from the edge devices 12 over a networks 16 when connected over the networks 16. Thus, the server computer system 14 could analyze the edge data generated by the edge devices 12. The edge devices 12 can perform actions based on the analyzed data, when returned over the network 16. In some cases, the server computer system 14 can instruct the edge devices 12 to perform actions based on an analysis performed at one or more of the edge devices 12 and/or at the server computer system 14.

In the illustrated embodiment, the edge devices 12 include local instructions 18. In general, the local instructions 18 can be executed by processors of the edge devices 12 to perform operations on edge data, such as indexing, storing, searching, or extracting data items from raw data generated by an edge device. For example, the instructions 18 can dictate processes for retrieving data items from raw data generated by an edge device. The edge devices 12 can then use the retrieved data items to perform local actions.

Implementing local instructions at the edge devices 12 presents challenges. For example, the edge devices 12 may be deployed with local instructions 18 to extract data items from raw edge data for a particular application. However, the local instructions 18 can become stale when the environment in which the edge devices 12 are deployed changes such that the extracted data items are useless for the intended application. Moreover, the intended application for the edge devices can change and the local instructions 18 may not support the new application. As such, the edge devices 12 cannot adapt to changing environments or applications. Solutions can include updating the local instructions 18 locally at each edge device 12. However, this solution requires physical access to the edge devices 12, which may be infeasible if the edge devices 12 are installed in remote or isolated locations, and/or are generally inaccessible. Moreover, this solution requires an undesirable amount of manual effort to update and manage the network of distributed edge devices 12 individually.

Other solutions can include remotely updating the local instructions 18 from a centralized location such as the server computer system 14. However, this solution similarly requires an undesirable amount of manual effort to manage each of the edge devices 12. Moreover, as indicated above, the edge devices 12 can be intermittently connected to the networks 16 such that the instructions from the server computer system 12 may not be received by edge devices 12 in a timely manner.

To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, embodiments of the disclosed system 10 can include instruction generation algorithms 20 at the server computer system 14. The instruction generation algorithms 20 produce and update global instructions 22 based on edge data collected from all the edge devices 12. In some embodiments, instructions generation algorithms 20 include machine learning algorithms. The global instructions 22 or related data can then be communicated to the edge devices 12 when they are connected to the network 16. As such, the edge devices 12 to can update their local instructions 18 based on the global instructions 22. For example, the server computer system 14 can update the global instructions 22 based on the edge data generated by all the edge devices 12, and push an instance of the global instructions 22, a portion of the global instructions 22 or information related to the global instructions 22, to each edge device 12. The data received by the edge devices 12 can be used to replace or update each of the local instructions 18 based on the updated global instructions 22. This process is described in greater detail below.

When executed, the local instructions 18 can reduce or summarize the vast amounts of minimally processed or unprocessed data (“raw data”) generated by an edge device, which can be subsequently analyzed to perform local actions. For example, in some embodiments, the local instructions 18 may be used to pre-process the raw data based on anticipated data analysis needs. In particular, edge data can be pre-processed with pre-specified data fields to extract data items from raw data. The extracted data items are stored to facilitate subsequent retrieval and analysis of those data items later at search time. In some embodiments, the remaining of the raw data is not saved and is discarded during pre-processing. Hence, the remaining raw data is not available at search time. However, discarding massive amounts of raw data can be undesirable because valuable insights could be lost.

As storage capacity becomes progressively less expensive, there are fewer incentives to discard raw data and many reasons to retain more of the raw data. Less expensive storage is presently making it feasible to store massive quantities of raw data for later retrieval and analysis. In general, storing raw data and performing analysis operations at search time in accordance with the local instructions 18 can provide greater flexibility because it enables searching all of the raw data instead of searching only a small subset of it. This may enable investigating different aspects of the raw data beyond the predetermined data items. As such, the disclosed embodiments can allow for searching through data that was previously unavailable for analysis.

However, analyzing and searching massive quantities of raw data presents a number of challenges. For example, the edge devices may generate many different types and formats of edge data (e.g., sensor data, system logs, network packet data (e.g., wire data), application program data, error logs, stack traces, system performance data, operating system data, and virtualization data) from thousands of different components, which can collectively be very time-consuming to analyze. In another example, edge devices may generate large amounts of information relating to data access, application performance, operating system performance, and network performance. There can be tens of millions of edge devices that report these types of information.

These challenges can be addressed by using an event-based data intake and query system, such as the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system developed by Splunk Inc. of San Francisco, Calif. The SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system is a leading platform for providing real-time operational intelligence that enables organizations to collect, index, and search raw data collected from various sources such as websites, applications, servers, networks, and edge devices. The SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system is particularly useful for analyzing data from various data input sources, including sensor data, data in system log files, and network data. Although many of the techniques described herein are explained with reference to a data intake and query system similar to the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system, these techniques are also applicable to other types of data systems.

In the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system, raw data is collected and stored as structured “events.” In this context, the global or local instructions of the disclosed embodiments can dictate the collecting and storing of the events. For example, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a series of events including raw edge data according to an embodiment. An event includes a portion of raw data and is associated with a specific point in time. For example, events may be derived from “time series data,” where the time series data comprises a sequence of data points (e.g., performance measurements from a computer system) that are associated with successive points in time. As shown, each event 1 through K can be associated with a timestamp 1 through K that can be derived from the raw data in the respective event, determined through interpolation between temporally proximate events having known timestamps, or determined based on other configurable rules for associating timestamps with events.

In some instances, raw data can have a predefined format, where data items with specific data formats are stored at predefined locations in the data. For example, the raw data may include data stored as fields. In other instances, raw data may not have a predefined format; that is, the data is not at fixed, predefined locations, but the data does have repeatable patterns and is not random. This means that some raw data can comprise various data items of different data types that may be stored at different locations within the raw data. As shown in FIG. 2, each event 1 through K includes a field that is nine characters in length beginning after a semicolon on a first line of the raw edge data, for example. In certain embodiments, these fields can be queried to extract their contents.

In addition to edge devices, examples of components in a computing environment that may generate raw data from which events can be derived include, but are not limited to, web servers, application servers, databases, firewalls, routers, operating systems, and software applications that execute on computer systems. The data generated by such data sources can include, for example and without limitation, server log files, activity log files, configuration files, messages, network packet data, performance measurements, and sensor measurements.

The SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system uses flexible schema to specify how to extract information from the event data. In some embodiments, the global or local instructions of the disclosed embodiments may be or include the schema. A flexible schema may be developed and redefined, as needed. Note that a flexible schema may be applied to event data “on the fly,” when it is needed (e.g., at search time, index time, and ingestion time). When the schema is not applied to event data until after the raw data is indexed or at search time, it may be referred to as a “late-binding schema.”

During operation, the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system starts with raw data (e.g., one or more system logs, streams of network packet data, sensor data, application program data, error logs, stack traces, or system performance data). The system divides this raw data into segments of raw data delineated by time segments (e.g., blocks of raw data, each associated with a specific time frame). The segments of raw data are indexed as timestamped events, corresponding to their respective time segments as shown in FIG. 2. The system stores the timestamped events in a data store.

The system then enables running queries against the stored data to, for example, retrieve events that meet criteria specified in a query, such as containing certain keywords or having specific values in defined fields. In some embodiments, the global or local instructions may be or include the queries used to retrieve the events. As used herein throughout, data that is part of an event is referred to as “event data.” In this context, the term “field” refers to a location in the event data containing one or more values for a specific data item. As will be described in more detail below, the global or local instructions can include the fields, which are defined by extraction rules (e.g., regular expressions) that derive one or more values from a portion of raw data in each event that has a particular field specified by an extraction rule. The set of values so produced are semantically related (such as an IP address), even though the raw data in each event may be in different formats (e.g., semantically related values may be in different positions in the events derived from different sources).

As noted above, the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system can utilize a late-binding schema on event data while performing queries on the events, in accordance with embodiments of the global or local instructions. One aspect of a late-binding schema is applying “extraction rules” to event data to extract values for specific fields during search time. More specifically, the extraction rules for a field can themselves include one or more instructions that specify how to extract a value for the field from the event data. An extraction rule can generally include any type of instruction for extracting values from data in events. In some cases, an extraction rule comprises a regular expression where a sequence of characters form a search pattern, in which case the rule is referred to as a “regex rule.” The system applies the regex rule to the event data to extract values for associated fields in the event data by searching the event data for the sequence of characters defined in the regex rule.

In the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system, a field extractor may be configured in accordance with global or local instructions to automatically generate extraction rules for certain field values in the events when the events are being created, indexed, or stored, or possibly at a later time. Alternatively, a user may manually define extraction rules for fields by using a variety of techniques. In contrast to a conventional schema for a database system, a late-binding schema is not defined at data ingestion time (i.e., on or before the raw data is indexed for storage). Instead, the late-binding schema can be developed on an ongoing basis until the time a query is actually executed (which could be long after the raw data is indexed). As a result, extraction rules for the fields in a query may be provided in the query itself, or they may be located during execution of the query.

Hence, as a user learns more about the raw data in the events, the user can continue to refine the instructions including the late-binding schema by adding new fields, deleting fields, or modifying the field extraction rules for use the next time the schema is applied by the system. Because the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system maintains the underlying raw data and can use a late-binding schema for searching the raw data, users are enabled to continue investigating and to learn valuable insights about the raw data. In contrast, conventional processes in database systems discard the raw data that was not indexed as predetermined data items. As a result, users of conventional database systems are limited to only searching predetermined data items.

In some embodiments, a common field name may be used to reference two or more fields containing equivalent data items, even though the fields may be associated with different types of events that possibly have different data formats and different extraction rules. By enabling a common field name to be used to identify equivalent fields from different types of events generated by disparate data sources, the system facilitates use of a “common information model” (CIM) across the disparate data sources.

In some embodiments, the global or local instructions may dictate that the raw data utilized by the disclosed embodiments can be stored as events that are indexed by timestamps but are also associated with predetermined data items. This structure is essentially a modification of conventional database systems that require predetermining data items for subsequent searches. These systems can be modified to retain the remaining raw data for subsequent re-processing for other predetermined data items in accordance with subsequent instructions.

Specifically, the raw data can be divided into segments and indexed by timestamps. The predetermined data items can be associated with the events indexed by timestamps. The events can be searched only for the predetermined data items during search time, but the remaining raw data is available for subsequent re-processing and re-indexing for searching other data items. In other words, the events can be re-processed later in time to re-index the raw data, to generate events with new predetermined data items in accordance with subsequent instructions.

2.0. Operating Environment

Referring back to FIG. 1, the server computer system 14 and edge devices 12 are examples of computing devices included in the system 10 that are interconnected via one or more networks 16. The networks 16 broadly represent one or more LANs, WANs, cellular networks (e.g., LTE, HSPA, 3G, and other cellular technologies), and/or networks using any of wired, wireless, terrestrial microwave, or satellite links, and may include the public Internet.

The computing devices of system 10 include any combination of hardware and software configured to implement the various logical components described herein. For example, the computing devices may include one or more memories that store instructions for implementing the various components described herein, one or more hardware processors configured to execute the instructions stored in the one or more memories, and various data repositories in the one or more memories for storing data structures utilized and manipulated by the various components.

The system 10 includes a data intake and query system 24. The data intake and query system 24 can be located exclusively at the server computer system 14, or components of the data intake and query system 24 can be distributed across the server computer system 14 and the edge devices 12 (as represented collectively by elements 24-1, 24-2 and 24-3). In some embodiments, any or each of the server computer system 14 and the edge devices 12 can include its own data intake and query system 24. Examples of configurations and operations of the data intake and query system 24 are described further below.

The edge devices 12 discussed above can represent a broader category of computing devices commonly referred to as “client devices,” which can each be operated under the control of a user. For example, FIG. 1 shows a client device 26 that can communicate with the components of the system 10 (e.g., the edge devices 12 or the server computer system 14) to receive or exchange information over the network 16. For example, a communication between the client device 26 and the components of the system 10 can include sending various requests and receiving data packets.

In one example, the client device 26 or applications 28 running on the client device 26 may initiate communications with applications running on the edge devices 12 or the server computer system 14 to request specific content (e.g., edge data), and the applications at the edge devices 12 or the server computer system 14 may respond with the requested content stored in one or more data packets. Hence, the components of the system 10 can also represent a broader category of computing devices referred to as “host devices,” which can host each other.

2.1. Data Intake and Query System

The data intake and query system 24 can be similar to or include components of the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system described above to create events from raw data in accordance with global or local instructions to improve storage and analysis of such data. For example, FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of the data intake and query system 24 according to an embodiment. The data intake and query system 24 includes one or more forwarders 30 that receive data from a variety of input data sources 32, and one or more indexers 34 that process and store the data in one or more data stores 36. The forwarders 30 and indexers 34 can be included in a single computing system, or may alternatively comprise separate processes executing on multiple computer systems. For example, the forwarders 30 could be located at the edge devices 12, and the indexers could be located at the server computer system 14.

Each data source 32 broadly represents a distinct source of data that can be consumed by the data intake and query system 24. An example of the data source 32 includes the data generated by sensors of the edge devices 12. Other examples of the data sources 32 include, without limitation, data files, directories of files, event logs, and registries, or any data sent over the networks 16.

During operation, the forwarders 30 can identify which indexers 34 should receive data collected from the data sources 32 and forward the data to the appropriate indexers 34. The forwarders 30 can also perform operations on the data before forwarding, including removing extraneous data, detecting timestamps in the data, parsing data, indexing data, routing data based on criteria relating to the data being routed, and/or performing other data transformations.

In an embodiment, the forwarders 30 may comprise a service accessible to the edge devices 12 and/or server computer system 14 over the networks 16. For example, one type of forwarder may be located at an edge device 12 and can be capable of consuming vast amounts of real-time data generated by the edge device 12, and then forward the generated data to the server computer system 14. In some embodiments, one type of forwarder 30 may be located at the server computer system 14 and capable of consuming vast amounts of data from a potentially large number of edge devices 12. Accordingly, a forwarder may, for example, comprise a computing device that implements multiple data pipelines or “queues” to handle forwarding of data to the indexers 34.

A forwarder 30 may also perform many of the functions that are performed by an indexer 34. For example, the forwarders 30 may perform keyword extractions on raw data or parse raw data to create events. The forwarders 30 may generate time stamps for events. Additionally or alternatively, the forwarders 30 may perform routing of events to the indexers 34. The data stores 36 may contain events derived from raw data obtained from a variety of data sources 32, which may be generated by the edge devices 12. Lastly, a search head 38 can perform a search query of the data stored in the data stores 36.

2.1.1. Data Ingestion

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process 400 performed by the data intake and query system 24 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, any or all of the steps of the process 400 may be defined by the global or local instructions of the system 10. The illustrated data flow is provided for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art would understand that one or more of the steps of the process 400 may be removed, or the ordering of the steps may be changed. Furthermore, for the purposes of illustrating a clear example, one or more particular system components are described in the context of performing various operations during each of the data flow stages. For example, a forwarder is described as receiving and processing data during an input phase; an indexer is described as parsing and indexing data during parsing and indexing phases; and a search head is described as performing a search query during a search phase. However, other system arrangements and distributions of the processing steps across system components may be used.

2.1.2. Input

In step 402, a forwarder receives raw data generated by an input source, such as the data sources 32 shown in FIG. 3. For example, the forwarder may receive a stream of raw sensor data generated at an edge device. In one embodiment, the forwarder receives the raw data and segments the data stream into “blocks,” possibly of uniform data size, to facilitate subsequent processing.

In step 404, the forwarder can annotate each segment of raw data with one or more metadata fields. These metadata fields may provide information related to the data segment as a whole and may apply to each event that is subsequently derived from the raw data in the data segment. For example, the metadata fields may include separate fields specifying each of a host, a source, and a source type related to the data segments.

A host field may contain a value identifying a host name or IP address of the edge device that generated the raw data. A source field may contain a value identifying a source of the raw data, such as a pathname of a file or a protocol and port related to received network data. A source type field may contain a value specifying a particular source type label for the data. Additional metadata fields may also be included during the input phase, such as a character encoding of the raw data, if known, and possibly other values that provide information relevant to later processing steps. In an embodiment, a forwarder forwards the annotated data segments to another system component (typically an indexer) for further processing.

The SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system allows forwarding of data from one SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE instance to another, or even to a third-party system. The SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system can employ different types of forwarders in a configuration. In an embodiment, a forwarder may contain the essential components needed to forward data. It can gather data from a variety of inputs and forward the data to a SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE server for indexing and searching. It also can tag metadata (e.g., source, source type, and host).

In an embodiment, a forwarder has the capabilities of the aforementioned forwarder, as well as additional capabilities. The forwarder can parse and index data before forwarding the data (e.g., associate a time stamp with a portion of data and create an event) and can route data based on criteria, such as source or type of event. It can also index data locally while forwarding the data to another indexer.

2.1.3. Parsing

At step 406, an indexer receives data segments from the forwarder and parses the data to organize the data into events. In an embodiment, to organize the data into events, an indexer may determine a source type associated with each data segment (e.g., by extracting a source type label from the metadata fields associated with the data block) and refer to a source type configuration corresponding to the identified source type. The source type definition may include one or more properties that indicate to the indexer to automatically determine the boundaries of events within the data.

In general, these properties may include regular expression-based rules or delimiter rules where, for example, event boundaries may be indicated by predefined characters or character strings. These predefined characters may include punctuation marks or other special characters, including, for example, carriage returns, tabs, spaces, line breaks, etc. If a source type for the data is unknown to the indexer, an indexer may infer a source type for the data by examining the structure of the data. Then, it can apply an inferred source type definition to the data to create the events.

In step 408, the indexer determines a timestamp for each event. Similar to the process for creating events, an indexer may again refer to a source type definition associated with the data to locate one or more properties that indicate instructions for determining a timestamp for each event. The properties may, for example, instruct an indexer to extract a time value from a portion of raw data in the event, to interpolate time values based on timestamps associated with temporally proximate events, to create a timestamp based on a time the event data was received or generated, to use the timestamp of a previous event, or to use any other rules for determining timestamps.

In step 410, the indexer associates each event with one or more metadata fields, including a field containing the timestamp (in some embodiments, a timestamp may be included in the metadata fields) determined for the event. These metadata fields may include a number of “default fields” that are associated with all events, and may also include one more custom fields, as defined by a user. Similar to the metadata fields associated with the data segments in step 404, the default metadata fields associated with each event may include a host, source, and source type field, including or in addition to a field storing the timestamp.

In step 412, an indexer may optionally apply one or more transformations to raw data included in the events created in step 406. For example, such transformations can include removing a portion of an event (e.g., a portion used to define event boundaries, extraneous characters from the event, other extraneous text, etc.), masking a portion of an event (e.g., masking a credit card number), removing redundant portions of an event, etc. The transformations applied to event data may, for example, be specified in one or more configuration files and referenced by one or more source type definitions.

2.1.4. Indexing

In steps 414 and 416, the indexer can optionally generate a keyword index to facilitate fast keyword searching for event data. To build a keyword index, in step 414, the indexer identifies a set of keywords in each event. In step 416, the indexer includes the identified keywords in an index, which associates each stored keyword with reference pointers to events containing that keyword (or to locations within events where that keyword is located, other location identifiers, etc.). When an indexer subsequently receives a keyword-based query, the indexer can access the keyword index to quickly identify events containing the keyword.

In some embodiments, the keyword index may include entries for name-value pairs found in events, where a name-value pair can include a pair of keywords connected by a symbol, such as an equals sign or colon. This way, events containing these name-value pairs can be quickly located. In some embodiments, fields can be generated automatically for some or all of the name-value pairs at the time of indexing. For example, if the string “dest=10.0.1.2” is found in an event, a field named “dest” may be created for the event, and assigned a value of “10.0.1.2”.

In step 418, the indexer stores the events with an associated timestamp in a data store. The timestamps enable a user to search for events based on a time range. In one embodiment, the stored events are organized into “buckets,” where each bucket stores events associated with a specific time range based on the timestamps associated with each event. This may not only improve time-based searching, but also allows for events with recent timestamps, which may have a higher likelihood of being accessed, to be stored in a faster memory to facilitate faster retrieval. For example, buckets containing the most recent events can be stored in flash memory rather than on a hard disk.

Referring back to FIG. 3, each indexer 34-1 through 34-3 may be responsible for storing and searching a subset of the events contained in a corresponding data store 36. By distributing events among the indexers 34 and data stores 36, the indexers 34 can analyze events for a query in parallel. For example, using map-reduce techniques, each indexer 34-1 through 34-3 returns partial responses for a subset of events to the search head 38, which combines the results to produce an answer for the query. By storing events in buckets for specific time ranges, the indexers may further optimize data retrieval processes by searching buckets corresponding to time ranges that are relevant to a query.

Moreover, events and buckets can also be replicated across different indexers and data stores to facilitate high availability and disaster recovery, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,130,971, titled “SITE-BASED SEARCH AFFINITY,” filed on 30 Apr. 2014, and in U.S. Pat. No. 9,124,612, titled “MULTI-SITE CLUSTERING,” also filed on 30 Apr. 2014, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

2.2. Query Processing

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process 500 for how a search head and indexers perform a search query according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, any or all of the steps of the process 500 may be defined by the global or local instructions of the system 10. In step 502, a search head receives a search query from another device. In step 504, the search head analyzes the search query to determine what portion(s) of the query can be delegated to indexers and what portions of the query can be executed locally by the search head.

In step 506, the search head distributes the determined portions of the query to the appropriate indexers. In an embodiment, a search head cluster may take the place of an independent search head where each search head in the search head cluster coordinates with peer search heads in the search head cluster to schedule jobs, replicate search results, update configurations, fulfill search requests, etc. In an embodiment, the search head (or each search head) communicates with a master node (also known as a cluster master, not shown in the figures) that provides the search head with a list of indexers to which the search head can distribute the determined portions of the query. The master node maintains a list of active indexers and can also designate which indexers may have responsibility for responding to queries over certain sets of events. A search head may communicate with the master node before the search head distributes queries to indexers to discover the addresses of active indexers.

In step 508, the indexers to which the query was distributed search data stores associated with them for events that are responsive to the query. To determine which events are responsive to the query, the indexer searches for events that match the criteria specified in the query. These criteria can include matching keywords or specific values for certain fields. The searching operations at step 508 may use the late-binding schema to extract values for specified fields from events at the time the query is processed. In an embodiment, one or more rules for extracting field values may be specified as part of a source-type definition. The indexers may then either send the relevant events back to the search head, or use the events to determine a partial result and send the partial result back to the search head.

In step 510, the search head combines the partial results and/or events received from the indexers to produce a final result for the query. This final result may comprise different types of data, depending on what the query requested. For example, the results can include a listing of matching events returned by the query, or some type of visualization of the data from the returned events. In another example, the final result can include one or more calculated values derived from the matching events.

The results generated by the system 10 can be returned to a client using different techniques. For example, one technique streams results or relevant events back to a client in real-time as they are identified. Another technique waits to report the results to the client until a complete set of results (which may include a set of relevant events or a result based on relevant events) is ready to return to the client. Yet another technique streams interim results or relevant events back to the client in real-time until a complete set of results is ready, and then returns the complete set of results to the client. In another technique, certain results are stored as “search jobs,” and the client may retrieve the results by referring to the search jobs.

The search head can also perform various operations to make the search more efficient. For example, before the search head begins execution of a query, the search head can determine a time range for the query and a set of common keywords that all matching events include. The search head may then use these parameters to query the indexers to obtain a superset of the eventual results. Then, during a filtering stage, the search head can perform field-extraction operations on the superset to produce a reduced set of search results. This speeds up queries that are performed on a periodic basis.

2.3. Field Extraction

Referring back to FIG. 3, in accordance with the global or local instructions of the system 10, the search head 38 allows for searching and visualizing event data extracted from raw data received from homogenous data sources. The search head 38 includes various mechanisms, which may additionally reside in an indexer 34, for processing a query. SPLUNK Processing Language (SPL), used in conjunction with the SPLUNK® ENTERPRISE system, can be utilized to make a query. SPL is a pipelined search language in which a set of inputs is operated on by a first command in a command line, and then a subsequent command following the pipe symbol “I” operates on the results produced by the first command, and so on for additional commands. Other query languages, such as the Structured Query Language (“SQL”), can be used to create a query.

In response to receiving the search query, search head 38 uses extraction rules to extract values for the fields associated with a field or fields in the event data being searched. The search head 38 obtains extraction rules that specify how to extract a value for certain fields from an event. Extraction rules can comprise regex rules that specify how to extract values for the relevant fields. In addition to specifying how to extract field values, the extraction rules may also include instructions for deriving a field value by performing a function on a character string or value retrieved by the extraction rule. For example, a transformation rule may truncate a character string, or convert the character string into a different data format. In some cases, the query itself can specify one or more extraction rules.

The search head 38 can apply the extraction rules to event data that it receives from indexers 34. The indexers 34 may apply the extraction rules to events in an associated data store 36. Extraction rules can be applied to all the events in a data store, or to a subset of the events that have been filtered based on some criteria (e.g., event time stamp values, etc.). Extraction rules can be used to extract one or more values for a field from events by parsing the event data and examining the event data for one or more patterns of characters, numbers, delimiters, etc., that indicate where the field begins and, optionally, ends.

3.0. Computing Architecture

As indicated above, the edge devices 12 can represent a broader category of computing devices referred to as client devices, which can include any computing device capable of interacting with the server computer system 14 over the one or more networks 16. Reference to an edge device in this disclosure is solely to aid in understanding a particular non-limiting embodiment. In addition to edge devices, examples of client devices include, without limitation, smart phones, tablet computers, handheld computers, wearable devices, laptop computers, desktop computers, servers, portable media players, gaming devices, and so forth.

3.1. Client Side Architecture

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of an edge device 12 connected to the server computer system 14 according to an embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the edge device 12 includes one or more sensors 40, which broadly represent data acquisition circuitry. The sensors 40 can generate raw data that can be used by the edge device 12 to perform one or more local actions. The sensors 40 may generate various types of raw data from electrical or optical input signals, etc. For example, a thermocouple is a sensor that generates voltage output data in response to environmental temperature inputs. In another example, an image sensor can capture and convey information that constitutes an image.

The edge device 12 may include one or more client applications 42 that may be configured to monitor or generate edge data in response to a trigger in the code of the client applications 42 or other triggering events, and to store the edge data on memory 52. In particular, the edge data can be stored in one or more data records on the memory 52.

The client applications 42 may include a SPLUNKD daemon 44, which operates as a background process that performs various operations without direct interaction from another device or a user. For example, the SPLUNKD daemon 44 can run as a background process to collect raw data from the sensors 40.

The edge device 12 may host and/or execute one or more SPLUNK applications 46, machine learning applications 48, and/or data enrichment applications 50. These client applications 42 can collectively implement functions including optimized data collection, monitoring, management, etc. The client applications 42 can enable, manage, or control operations of the edge device 12 in accordance with the local instructions 18. For example, the SPLUNK applications 46 may manage the behavior of the sensors 40 that capture images of objects or process the image data in accordance with the local instructions 18.

The machine learning applications 48 may include a machine learning local model (not shown), which can be trained with edge data. Local edge data can further be processed with the local model to make predictions used to determine whether the edge device 12 performs a local action, and the type of location action that will be performed.

The data enrichment applications 50 can enhance the functionality of the edge device 12. For example, a data enrichment application can be applied to annotate outputs of the machine learning applications 48. For example, a data enrichment application can augment detection of objects by an image sensor to perform real-time video analytics such as object detection, facial detection and recognition, multi object tracking, etc. The client applications 42 may include a “plug-in” or “extension” to another application, such as a web browser plug-in or extension. The client applications 42 may interact with the server computer system 14 or other edge devices over the networks 16.

In an embodiment, the client applications 42 may include monitoring functions that monitor edge data or facilitate generating edge data related to the edge device's operating state, including monitoring local data and collecting other edge device and/or application-specific information. The monitoring functions may be integrated into a plug-in, an extension, or any other type of add-ons. The monitoring functions may also be a stand-alone process.

In an embodiment, the monitoring functions may be created using a software development kit (SDK) that can incorporate monitoring code into the client applications 42. The SDK or other code for implementing the monitoring functionality may be offered by a provider of the data intake and query system 24. In such cases, the provider of the data intake and query system 24 can implement the custom code so that edge data is sent to the data intake and query system 24 to facilitate analysis of the edge data by a developer of the client applications 42 or other users.

In an embodiment, the custom monitoring code may be incorporated into the code of the client applications 42 to call or otherwise invoke the monitoring functionality. A developer of any of the client applications 42 can add one or more lines of code into a client application to trigger the monitoring functionality as desired. Code that triggers the monitoring functions may be referred to as a monitor trigger. For instance, a monitor trigger may be included at or near the beginning of the executable code of a client application such that the monitoring functionality is initiated or triggered as a client application is launched, or included at other points in the code that correspond to various actions of the client applications 42.

In an embodiment, the monitoring functions may monitor one or more aspects of network traffic sent and/or received by the client applications 42 over the networks 16. The network traffic can be analyzed to determine a number of network performance statistics. Monitoring network traffic may enable information to be gathered particular to the network performance associated with any of the client applications 42.

Network performance data refers to data that indicates information about the network and/or network performance. Network performance data may include, for instance, a URL request, a connection type (e.g., HTTP or HTTPS), a connection start time, a connection end time, an HTTP status code, request length, response length, request headers, response headers, connection status (e.g., completion, response time(s), or failure), and the like. Upon obtaining network performance data indicating performance of the networks 16, the network performance data can be sent to the data intake and query system 24 for analysis.

Upon developing the client applications 42 that incorporate the monitoring functionality, the client applications 42 can be distributed to the edge devices 12. The client applications 42 generally can be distributed to the edge devices 12 in any manner, or they can be pre-loaded. In some cases, the client applications 42 may be distributed to the edge device 12 via an application marketplace or other application distribution system. For instance, an application marketplace or other application distribution system might distribute the application to a client device based on a request from the edge device 12 to download the application.

Examples of functionality that enables monitoring performance of a client device are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/524,748, titled “UTILIZING PACKET HEADERS TO MONITOR NETWORK TRAFFIC IN ASSOCIATION WITH A CLIENT DEVICE,” filed on 27 Oct. 2014, and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In an embodiment, the monitoring functionality may monitor and collect performance data related to an aspect of the operational state of client applications 42 and/or edge device 12. For example, the monitoring functions may collect edge device performance information by monitoring one or more edge device operations, or by making calls to an operating system and/or one or more other applications executing on the edge device 12 for performance information. Edge device performance information may include, for instance, a current wireless signal strength of the edge device 12, a current connection type and network carrier, current memory performance information, a geographic location of the device, a device orientation, and any other information related to the operational state of the edge device 12.

In an embodiment, the client applications 42 may also monitor and collect other device profile information, including, for example, a type of edge device, a manufacturer and model of the edge device, versions of various software applications installed on the edge device, and so forth.

In the illustrated embodiment, components of the data intake and query system 24 are distributed between the edge device 12 and the server computer system 14. Specifically, the edge device 12 includes the forwarder 30, which can forward data to the indexer 34 of the server computer system 14. In an embodiment, the forwarder 30 can send transformed events in batches to the server computer system 14. As detailed below, the server computer system 14 further includes the data store 36 to store events, as detailed above, which can be searched by the search head 38 to extract data items. Further, the extracted data items can be used by the machine learning algorithms 54 to update/train the global model 22.

Accordingly, the forwarder 30 enables event collection by the server computer system 14. In some embodiments, the edge data can be communicated to the server computer system 14 using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocols. Specifically, MQTT is an M2M IoT connectivity protocol useful for connections with remote locations where a relatively small code footprint is required and/or network bandwidth is limited.

3.2. Server Side Architecture

In the illustrated embodiments, the server computer system 14 can send pipelined search language queries, such as SPLUNK Processing Language (SPL) queries, and global instructions 22 or related data received by a configuration manager 54 to configure (or reconfigure) an edge device 12. For example, an SPL query may configure the edge device 12 to monitor certain edge data. The global instructions 22 or related data may be used at the edge device 12 configure (or reconfigure) the local instructions 18. For example, the global instructions 22 or related data can be used to replace or update the local instructions 18 with the global instructions 22. One or more filters 56, transforms 58 and/or rules 60 may be used to configure the edge device 12 to send summary data, based on its locally acquired data, back to the server computer system 14. The data summary sent from each of the edge devices 12 then can form global training data to train the global model 22 on the server computer system 14. The filters 56, transforms 58 and/or rules 60 can be included in each edge device 12.

The server computer system 14 can represent a broader category of computing devices referred to as host devices, which can include any number of computers, virtual machine instances, and/or data centers that can be configured to host or execute one or more instances of host applications (e.g., host applications 62). The server computer system 14 or another host device may be involved, directly or indirectly, in processing requests received from the edge device 12 for a network-based service. For example, a network-based service provider may configure one or more host devices and host applications to collectively implement the network-based application.

The edge device 12 can communicate with the host applications 62 to exchange information. The communication between the edge device 12 and the host applications 62 may be based on HTTP or any other network protocol. Content delivered from the host applications 62 to the edge device 12 may include, for example, HTML documents, media content, etc. The communication between the edge device 12 and host applications 62 may include sending requests and receiving data packets. For example, the client applications 42 may initiate communication with host applications 62 by requesting a specific resource, and the host device may respond with the requested content stored in one or more response packets.

A host device may generate various types of performance data during operation of the host applications 62, including event logs, network data, sensor data, and other types of machine-generated data. The host data or data related to an interaction between the host device and the edge device 12 could be subjected to data intake and query processes.

4.0. Embodiments of System Operations

FIGS. 7 and 8 are block diagrams that illustrate operations of the system 10 implementing components of the disclosed technology in different combinations. Although shown as two separate embodiments, the components illustrated in these figures can be combined in various ways to achieve a desired behavior for the system 10. Moreover, embodiments may omit components or include other components not shown but known to persons skilled in the art.

4.1.1. Instructions for Data Intake and Query Processes

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of an embodiment of the system 10 configured to iteratively update local instructions for data intake and query processes to improve analytics for the edge devices 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the edge devices 12 can receive local inputs 64 to generate raw data 66 according to their designed functions. As part of their data intake and query processes, the edge devices 12 execute local instructions 18 on the vast amounts of raw data 66. The local instructions 18 can cause the edge devices 12 to create time-indexed events including segments of the raw data 66, and/or extract data items by applying schema 68 on the events.

For example, the schema 68 may be late-binding to cause the edge devices 12 to extract data fields from raw data of the time-indexed events to obtain the data items (e.g., the data items are extracted after indexing the events). In another example, the local instructions 18 can cause the edge devices 12 to implement the schema 68 to obtain data items by extracting data fields from raw data while the events are being indexed by timestamps (e.g., not after indexing the events).

Any combination of the raw data 66 or data derived from the raw data 66 such as the events, the data items, or indicia thereof can constitute results 70 generated by the edge devices 12. For example, the indicia constituting the results 70 may include an aggregate or summary of the events or the data items. The results 70 can be used to perform local actions 72 at the edge devices 12. For example, a local action can include changing an operational parameter of an edge device or changing a setting controlled by the edge device.

In some embodiments, only a small portion of the results 70 (e.g., 10%) is sent by the edge devices 12 to the server computer system 14 over a network. In some embodiments, the portion can be specified prior to commencing an operation by the edge devices 12 to create the time-indexed events. In some embodiments, the portion is determined during the operation (i.e., on the fly).

The server computer system 14 collects the results 70 or portion thereof sent by the edge devices 12 over the network. The results 70 or portion thereof obtained by the server computer system 14 collectively constitutes global results 74. In some embodiments, the server computer system 14 can implement data intake and query processes to create global time-indexed events (“global events”) including segments of the global results 74. For example, the server computer system 14 may implement a schema 76 to extract data items from the global events while or after the global events are indexed. As such, the server computer system 14 may produce global data items.

The server computer system 14 includes instruction algorithms 20 that process the global results 74 or related data (e.g., global data items) to generate global instructions 22. Hence, the global instructions 22 are based on edge data generated by the network of distributed edge devices 12.

The server computer system 14 can then send an instance of the global instructions 22 or related data to one or more of the edge devices 12. The instance of the global instructions 22 or the related data can cause the edge device 12 to update its local instructions 18. In particular, the edge device 12 can use the global instructions 22 or related data to replace or modify its local instructions 18, which is used on subsequently generated raw data.

As such, the local instructions 18 of the edge devices 12 can be iteratively updated via the server computer system 14. By locally using at each edge device 12 the local instructions 18 that have been updated from data generated by itself and other edge devices 12, the system 10 can improve the performance of each of the edge devices 12 based on the data acquired by the network of distributed edge devices 12.

4.1.2. Machine Learning

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an operation of an embodiment of the system to improve analytics for the edge devices 12 similar to FIG. 7, but which can implement machine learning at the edge devices 12 and/or the server computer system

In the illustrated embodiment, the edge devices 12 and/or the server computer 14 can separately or collectively implement one of more machine learning processes 78. In general, a machine learning process 78-1 through 78-3 each involve an algorithm that can learn from and make predictions, classifications and/or identifications, etc. on data, rather than following a static set of program instructions. Such algorithms operate by building a model from data. For example, the machine learning processes 78 can train models used to improve the local instructions 18 or global instructions 22

Common machine learning algorithms generally involve either supervised or unsupervised learning. In supervised learning, a computer is presented with example inputs and desired outputs, with the goal of learning a rule that maps the inputs to the outputs. Unsupervised learning leaves the learning algorithm to find structure in the input without labeling the inputs or outputs. A learning algorithm can continuously learn from new inputs (e.g., training data) to improve predictions. There are various types and variations of machine learning processes known to persons skilled in the art that can be implemented in the disclosed embodiments and, as such, are not discussed herein for the sake of brevity.

Specifically, the machine learning processes 78-1 and 78-2 of the edge devices 12-1 and 12-2, respectively, can be used to improve the local instructions 18 based on the raw data 66, or the received global instructions 22 (or related data). Likewise, the machine learning processes 78-3 of the server computer system 14 can improve the global instructions 22 based on the global results 74 or data derived therefrom. Hence, the global instructions 22 can be generated in accordance with the machine learning process 78-3, and the server computer system 14 can push the machine-learned global instructions 22 (or related data) to the edge devices 12 to further improve their performance.

Moreover, when the edge devices 12 are disconnected from the server computer system 14, the disconnected edge devices 12 can still improve and update their local instructions 18 by learning from the raw data 66 without communicating with the server computer system 14.

4.2. Operation of Edge Device

FIG. 9 is an operation flow diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow 900 of an edge device according to an embodiment. In step 902, the edge device generates raw data based on inputs to the edge device. As part of its data intake and query processes, the edge device can execute local instructions on the vast amounts of raw data. For example, in step 904, the local instructions can cause the edge device to generate events indexed by timestamps. The events can include respective segments of the raw data generated by the edge device.

In step 906, the edge device can implement one or more operations to retrieve data from the events in accordance with the local instructions. For example, in step 908, the edge device can implement a schema to extract data items from the events. The schema may be late-binding to obtain data items from segments of the raw data in the events after the events are indexed. In another example, data items can be extracted from the raw data while the events are being indexed.

In step 910, the local instructions can cause the edge device to obtain results including any combination or portion of the raw data or data derived from the raw data (e.g., the data items). For example, the results may include at least a portion of the data items that have been aggregated to summarize the data items. In step 912, the edge device can execute a local action based on the results. For example, the local action can include changing an operational parameter of the edge device or changing a setting controlled by the edge device.

In step 914, the edge device determines whether it can connect to the server computer system over the network. If so, for example, the edge device may automatically and autonomously (e.g., without human interaction) establish machine-to-machine (M2M) communications with the server computer system to send the results or indicia thereof to the server computer system.

In step 916, if the edge device is communicatively connected to the server computer system, the edge device can send the results or indicia thereof over the network to the server computer system. In some embodiments, the results sent to the server computer system can include only a portion of the results obtained by performing the retrieval operation on the events in accordance with the local instructions.

In step 918, the edge device receives new instructions or related data from the server computer system over the network. The new instructions can be generated by the server computer system based on the results it received in step 916. In some embodiments, the new instructions were derived by the server computer system based on (global) results collected from the network of distributed edge devices, in addition to the results received in step 916 from the edge device.

The new (global) instructions or related data cause the edge device to update its local instructions. In particular, the edge device can use the new (global) instructions or related data to replace or modify its current local instructions. The operation of the edge device then returns to step 906 to perform operations using the new (global) instructions to retrieve new data items from the same events or create new events and extract new data items. As such, the local instructions of the edge device can be iteratively modified via the server computer system to improve edge analytics.

In some embodiments, if the edge device is disconnected from the server computer system, the edge device can take steps to locally update its local instructions. For example, in steps 920 and 922, the edge device can generate new instructions by performing machine learning processes on the raw data, the results data, the new global instructions, etc. The locally modified (and machine-learned) instructions can cause the edge device to perform operations on events to obtain new results in accordance with the locally modified local instructions. Further, the edge device can perform local actions based on the new results.

4.3. Server Computer System Operations

FIG. 10 is an operation flow diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow 1000 of a server computer system according to an embodiment. As discussed above, the server computer system can be intermittently communicatively connected to some edge devices and disconnected from other edge devices, all collectively forming a network of distributed edge devices.

In step 1002, the server computer system can collect global data from the network of distributed edge devices communicatively connected to the server computer system over the network. In some embodiments, the global data (e.g., global results) corresponds to the results generated by each of the edge devices in accordance with local instructions.

As part of its data intake and query processes, in step 1004, the server computer system may generate global events indexed by timestamps. The global events may include segments of the global data collected from the network of distributed edge devices.

In step 1006, the server computer system may implement schema to extract a data field from each of the global events to obtain global data items. For example, the server computer system may implement a late-binding schema that extracts global data items after the global events are indexed. In another example, the server computer may implement a schema that extracts data items while the global results are being indexed as timestamped events.

In steps 1008 and 1010, the server computer system may generate global instructions based on the global events or the global data items. Specifically, in step 1008, the server computer system may implement machine learning processes on the global events or the global data items to obtain the global instructions.

In step 1012, the server computer system sends the global instructions or related data to at least one of the network of distributed edge devices. The global instructions or the related data are configured to cause an edge device to update its local instructions. As such, the network of distributed edge devices can use the global instructions or related data to replace or modify their local instructions.

5.0. Computing System Architecture

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a high-level example of a hardware architecture of a computing system 80 that can be used to implement any one or more of the functional components described herein (e.g., forwarder, indexer, search head, and data store, server computer system, edge device). In some embodiments, one or multiple instances of the computing system 80 can be used to implement the techniques described herein, where multiple such instances can be coupled to each other via one or more networks.

The illustrated computing system 80 includes one or more processing devices 82, one or more memory devices 84, one or more communication devices 86, one or more input/output (I/O) devices 88, and one or more mass storage devices 90, all coupled to each other through an interconnect 92. The interconnect 92 may be or include one or more conductive traces, buses, point-to-point connections, controllers, adapters, and/or other conventional connection devices. Each of the processing devices 82 controls, at least in part, the overall operation of the processing of the computing system 80 and can be or include, for example, one or more general-purpose programmable microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), mobile application processors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable gate arrays (PGAs), or the like, or a combination of such devices.

Each of the memory devices 84 can be or include one or more physical storage devices, which may be in the form of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM) (which may be erasable and programmable), flash memory, miniature hard disk drive, or other suitable type of storage device, or a combination of such devices. Each mass storage device 90 can be or include one or more hard drives, digital versatile disks (DVDs), flash memories, or the like. Each memory device 84 and/or mass storage device 90 can store (individually or collectively) data and instructions that configure the processing device(s) 82 to execute operations to implement the techniques described above.

Each communication device 86 may be or include, for example, an Ethernet adapter, cable modem, Wi-Fi adapter, cellular transceiver, baseband processor, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver, serial communication device, or the like, or a combination thereof. Depending on the specific nature and purpose of the processing devices 82, each I/O device 88 can be or include a device such as a display (which may be a touch screen display), audio speaker, keyboard, mouse or other pointing device, microphone, camera, etc. Note, however, that such I/O devices 88 may be unnecessary if the processing device 82 is embodied solely as a server computer.

In the case of a client device (e.g., edge device), the communication devices(s) 86 can be or include, for example, a cellular telecommunications transceiver (e.g., 3G, LTE/4G, 5G), Wi-Fi transceiver, baseband processor, Bluetooth or BLE transceiver, or the like, or a combination thereof. In the case of a server, the communication device(s) 86 can be or include, for example, any of the aforementioned types of communication devices, a wired Ethernet adapter, cable modem, DSL modem, or the like, or a combination of such devices.

A software program or algorithm, when referred to as “implemented in a computer-readable storage medium,” includes computer-readable instructions stored in a memory device (e.g., memory device(s) 84). A processor (e.g., processing device(s) 82) is “configured to execute a software program” when at least one value associated with the software program is stored in a register that is readable by the processor. In some embodiments, routines executed to implement the disclosed techniques may be implemented as part of OS software (e.g., MICROSOFT WINDOWS® and LINUX®) or a specific software application, algorithm component, program, object, module, or sequence of instructions referred to as “computer programs.”

Computer programs typically comprise one or more instructions set at various times in various memory devices of a computing device, which, when read and executed by at least one processor (e.g., processing device(s) 82), will cause a computing device to execute functions involving the disclosed techniques. In some embodiments, a carrier containing the aforementioned computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., the memory device(s) 84).

Any or all of the features and functions described above can be combined with each other, except to the extent it may be otherwise stated above or to the extent that any such embodiments may be incompatible by virtue of their function or structure, as will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art. Unless contrary to physical possibility, it is envisioned that (i) the methods/steps described herein may be performed in any sequence and/or in any combination, and (ii) the components of respective embodiments may be combined in any manner.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: generating, by an electronic device, raw data based on inputs to the electronic device; generating, by the electronic device, a plurality of timestamped events from the raw data, each of the plurality of timestamped events including a segment of the raw data; obtaining, by the electronic device, first results by performing a first operation on the plurality of timestamped events in accordance with first instructions; sending, by the electronic device, the first results or indicia of at least a portion of the first results over a network to a server computer system; receiving, by the electronic device, second instructions from the server computer system, the second instructions having been generated by the server computer system based on the first results; and performing, by the electronic device, a second operation on a plurality of timestamped events that include segments of raw data generated based on inputs to the electronic device, the second operation being performed in accordance with the second instructions to obtain second results.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a first electronic device, the second instructions having been generated by the server computer system based on a plurality of results output from a plurality of electronic devices, including the first electronic device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia includes a summary of at least a portion of the first results.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: executing, by the electronic device, a local action based on at least one of the first results or the second results, the local action including at least one of changing an operational parameter of the electronic device or changing a setting controlled by the electronic device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first results comprises: extracting, by the electronic device, a data field from each of the plurality of timestamped events to obtain the first results.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first results comprises: extracting, by the electronic device, a data field from each segment of raw data in each timestamped event to obtain the first results, after the plurality of timestamped events are indexed.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first results comprises: extracting, by the electronic device, a data field from each segment of raw data to obtain the first results, while the plurality of timestamped events is being indexed.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the electronic device is communicatively disconnected from the server computer system: generating, by the electronic device, third instructions based on the second results; performing, by the electronic device, a third operation on a plurality of timestamped events each including segments of raw data generated based on inputs to the electronic device, the third operation being performed in accordance with the third instructions to obtain third results; and executing, by the electronic device, a local action based on the third results including at least one of changing an operational parameter of the electronic device or changing a setting controlled by the electronic device.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, by the electronic device, third instructions by using a machine learning model based on the second instructions; and performing, by the electronic device, a third operation in accordance with the third instructions to obtain third results.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second instructions have been generated by the server computer system performing a machine learning process based on the first results.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an endpoint device that forms an endpoint of a communications link over the network.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first results or the indicia sent to the server computer system comprises: establishing a machine-to-machine communications link with the server computer system; and sending, by the electronic device, the first results or the indicia of at least a portion of the first results via the machine-to-machine (M2M) communications link to the server computer system.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first results comprise only a portion of results obtained by performing the first operation on the plurality of timestamped events in accordance with the first instructions.
 14. A method comprising: collecting, by a server computer system, global data from a plurality of electronic devices communicatively connected to the server computer system over a network, different portions of the global data having been generated by respective different ones of the plurality of electronic devices in accordance with respective local instructions; generating, by the server computer system, global instructions based on the global data; and sending, by the server computer system, the global instructions to at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, the global instructions being configured to cause an electronic device to perform a data operation on a plurality of timestamped events in accordance with the global instructions, the plurality of timestamped events for each electronic device including raw data generated by the electronic device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the global instructions comprises: generating, by the server computer system, a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a segment of the global data; and extracting, by the server computer system, a data field from each global timestamped event to obtain the data items, after the plurality of timestamped events are indexed, wherein the global instructions are generated based on the data items.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the global instructions comprises: generating, by the server computer system, a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a segment of the global data; and extracting, by the server computer system, a data field from each global timestamped event to obtain the data items, while the plurality of timestamped events are being indexed, wherein the global instructions are generated based on the data items.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the global instructions comprises: generating, by the server computer system, a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a segment of the global data; and performing, by the server computer system, a machine learning process based on the plurality of global timestamped events or data items obtained from the plurality of global timestamped events to obtain the global instructions.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the server computer system is intermittently communicatively connected to at least some of the plurality of electronic devices.
 19. An electronic device comprising: a communication device through which the electronic device can communicate with a server computer system over a network; a processor; and memory containing instructions that, when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to: generate raw data based on inputs to the electronic device; generate a plurality of timestamped events, each of the plurality of timestamped events including a segment of the raw data; obtain first results by performing a first operation on the plurality of timestamped events in accordance with first instructions; send the first results or indicia of at least a portion of the first results over a network to a server computer system; receive second instructions from the server computer system over the network, the second instructions having been generated by the server computer system based on the first results; and perform a second operation on a plurality of timestamped events including respective segments of raw data generated based on inputs to the electronic device, the second operation being performed in accordance with the second instructions to obtain second results.
 20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the electronic device is a first electronic device, and the second instructions are derived from a plurality of results from a plurality of electronic devices including the first instructions of the first electronic device.
 21. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the indicia of at least a portion of the first results includes a summary of at least a portion of the first results.
 22. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: execute a local action based on at least one of the first results or the second results, the local action including at least one of changing an operational parameter of the electronic device or changing a setting controlled by the electronic device.
 23. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to, prior to sending the first results or the indicia to the server computer system: extract a data field from each of the plurality of timestamped events to obtain the first results.
 24. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to, prior to sending the first results or the indicia to the server computer system: extract a data field from each segment of raw data in each timestamped event to obtain the first results, after the plurality of timestamped events are indexed.
 25. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to, prior to sending the first results or the indicia to the server computer system: extract a data field from each segment of raw data to obtain the first results, while the plurality of timestamped events is being indexed.
 26. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: generate third instructions by using a machine learning model based on the second instructions; and perform a third operation in accordance with the third instructions to obtain third results.
 27. A server computer system comprising: a communication device through which the server computer system can communicate with a plurality of electric devices over a network; a processor; and memory containing instructions that, when executed by the server computer system, cause the server computer system to: collect global data from a plurality of electronic devices communicatively connected to the server computer system over a network, different portions of the global data having been generated by respective different ones of the plurality of electronic devices in accordance with respective local instructions; generate global instructions based on the global data; and send the global instructions to at least one of the plurality of electronic devices, the global instructions being configured to cause an electronic device to perform a data operation on a plurality of timestamped events in accordance with the global instructions, the plurality of timestamped events for each electronic device including raw data generated by the electronic device.
 28. The server computer system of claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the server computer system to: generate a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a respective segment of the global data; and extract a data field from each global timestamped event to obtain the data items, after the plurality of global timestamped events is indexed, wherein the global instructions are generated based on the data items.
 29. The server computer system of claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the server computer system to: generate a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a respective segment of the global data; and extract a data field from each segment of raw data in each timestamped event to obtain the data items, while the plurality of global timestamped events are being indexed, wherein the global instructions are generated based on the data items.
 30. The server computer system of claim 27, wherein the instructions further cause the server computer system to: generate a plurality of global timestamped events, each of the plurality of global timestamped events including a respective segment of the global data; and perform a machine learning process based on the plurality of global timestamped events or data items obtained from the plurality of global timestamped events to obtain the global instructions. 